eternally yours
by shel
Summary: phoebe's fairy tale comes to an end...or does it?


**CHARMED**

**"Eternally Yours"**

by shel

© january 2006

_disclaimer: the charmed ones, cole, and leo, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too…_

_rating: pg-13_

_summary: phoebe's fairy tale comes to an end…or does it?_

_timeline: may 2006…_

_archive: please don't without expressed permission…_

_notes: written after s8's 'payback's a witch' aired…please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why not…and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames…_

* * *

From the sidelines, Phoebe wistfully watched the scene before her. And her heart ached for Piper and Paige who huddled together on the curb protecting her body from the scavenging demons. She yearned to continue the fight with them and defeat those remaining demons but she knew her fighting days were now over. 

"But I went down fighting," she told them. "I died saving innocents like Billie's sister. I mean that was our destiny, right, to save innocents from evil?"

Of course, her words of comfort didn't reach her sisters and it was frustrating she couldn't even cry for them and their pain that she herself had felt when she'd mourned Prue.

She sat on the curb next to them, momentarily forgetting she didn't have to duck from a demon's fireball nor from Piper's explosive response. "I love you," she told them as she sat up straight. When she saw Paige once again try to heal her body, she placed her transparent hand over her sister's, "Don't, Paige. It's too late. Piper needs you now. You have to be strong for her, for each other. You'll have to be there for Wyatt and Chris who won't understand why their Daddy will be coming home but their Aunt Phoebe had to leave forever."

Paige glanced in her direction and Phoebe wished she could brush away her sister's tears. "It'll be better in time. It won't be as painful to remember me and I want you to remember me, Paige. Remember the craziness and the fun but remember the love. Remember how much I loved you and Piper and the boys."

She watched Piper wrap a shoulder around Paige's hunched ones and she brought one hand to each sister's cheek. "I love you both and I will always watch over you. And I'll visit just as soon as I can…I promise."

Phoebe stood and stepped back just as fog began rolling in. And she waited for the Angel of Death.

She waited until it was just her alone in the fog. "Always thought heaven would be in the clouds," she nervously joked aloud as she prayed the Elders weren't punishing her with a solitary wait for some indiscretion she was sure was an accident on her part.

"Heaven is what you make of it."

Phoebe spun at the sound of the voice coming through the fog. If she still had a body and her heart still beat, she was sure it would be pounding in her chest.

"At least that's what I've decided about this place."

"This place?" Phoebe squeaked as the fog began to clear around his image. "Where am I?"

"You're home," he shrugged as he approached.

Stunned, she didn't know what to think much less say and so she simply stared at him.

"This isn't what I wanted for you," he frowned as he stopped a few feet from her. "In fact, I'd done everything I could to prevent it."

"And yet here I am," she nervously quipped.

"It's not funny, Phoebe," he shook his head.

"I just died, Cole!" she snapped. "I think I'm entitled to be a little nervous."

He turned from her and thought aloud, "I don't know, maybe there's still a way to get you out of limbo. Maybe if I contacted Piper, she could --"

"No!"

He spun back to face her, "You don't realize what it means to be here! I have to send you back or at least send you where you belong!"

"Why are you so sure I don't belong here?" she quietly asked.

"Because you don't," he stubbornly replied, "because you belong in a realm where you can still do good. You don't deserve to be lost here for eternity."

She considered his words with a slight nod, "It seems to me, you've managed to do good from here."

"It's not the same," he insisted. "I'm here to atone for my sins. There's no reward for me, no better place to move on. This is it, Phoebe. And I can't let you stay. I won't."

"I don't think you have a choice," she calmly told him.

"You don't understand, I --"

"I understand I'm dead," she interrupted as she began to close the gap between them. "I'm dead and I'm here," she suddenly smiled, "and that's that."

"But --"

Phoebe didn't give him another second to speak before she threw herself into his arms. And though they had no physical forms, the way their souls merged was, "Magical," she whispered.

He didn't say anything as she pulled back and stepped out of reach; he merely smiled.

"So," she grinned, "what's a spirit do for fun around here?"

Cole couldn't help but chuckle and, in response, he held out his hand to her.

Phoebe accepted it with a smile and disappeared with him into the fog.

_And together they were lost in limbo – happily ever after…_

**_The End_**


End file.
